Sometimes our programmers have to work, rather than talk about working.

We hope it helps shine some light on the ongoing refinements/fixes being made to the AI, and can help to frame/promote some useful feedback/discussion/understanding about the current state/future direction and progress.

When it's possible/useful, we will try to post brief descriptions of recent AI changes done on the development branch. We hope this will help demonstrate the tweaks that we're making and generate useful feedback to help us validate and polish our work.

Fixed: AI turn limitation while aiming

It wasn't supposed to fix rotation speed of AI soldiers, but is letting them use "aiming deadzone" as specified in the unit config (minGunTurnAI, maxGunTurnAI) which is typically 60 degrees cone.

Therefore currently AI should be able to follow targets better without moving whole body.

AI shouldn't take unguided missiles as guided

RPG and NLAW are supposed to be unguided, but AI was still able to use them as guided weapons. This was corrected.

FIX: AI ballistic calculation fixed.

Quite big change, now AI is able to calculate and predict accurate ballistic of bullet, therefore is able to aim and engage targets on all ranges, both static and moving. Also, this improves AI ability to hit moving targets by more precise time of leading calculation. Good way to check this change is try to fight AI sniper on 1km+ range. Of course it still depends on his skill.

Share on other sites

Some fixes/features were included partly before public Alpha, but waited on changes in other departments and proper integration into gameplay, thus did not make it to the official changelogs.

New types of obstacles for pathfinding - objects that only some types of units can get over (i.e. only soldiers, only soldiers or tanks, only boats)

Improved pre-processing of terrain for path-planning

Path planning for divers - makign them makigate underwater

AI not wasting rockets on infantry

Flashlights affect AI detection - Flashlights help you to detect enemy, but also reveals you

AI is properly using weapon optics to find enemy - Including Thermal Optics

Improved how night changes the chance to spot enemy

Fixed that AI was using binoculars on close distance

Silencers decreasing audibility

AI mines detection and avoidance

AI using hand grenades more

AI able to use grenade launchers - they will engage with UGLs

Blackhawk gunners are more capable while searching for new targets - done in OA and merged

Helicopters pilots prefer not to crash to trees and hills - but reserve the right to do so

Small improvements of helicopter attack pattern - less dive-bombing

Boats able to navigate around piers

Fixed some cases of AI stuck in fleeing

Improved AI ability to to send medic

AI using first aid kit

AI will not shoot you through bushes, if he did not see you before - fixed in OA and merged

AI can drive physx vehicles

Loiter waypoint

AI will also assign secondary turrets

AI will not disembark to change position in vehicle - if possible

AI will not take your commanding role in vehicle

Improved how particles are decreasing chance to spot enemy

AI visibility in new fog

Fixed: AI not able to open doors in some buildings

New system for AI roads creation

Improved AI commanding - selection of cover point on position where you are sending soldier to

Improved weapon selection - based on time needed to lock missile or turn vehicle; done in TKOH and merged

These are not the all the changes, just those I could remember at home at this late hour.

Some other changes that are WIP. currently not deployed. N.B. Not all tweaks are guaranteed to ever make it into the final build, depending on validation. Also note, many features need a lot of parameters properly configured and it takes time to balance them.

AI not using pistol, when it should not - in some stage of releasing, WIP

Grass is decreasing chance to spot enemy - in some stage of releasing, WIP

AI prefer crouch stance while engaging - WIP, to be released

Decreased visibility of shooting - so AI does not find you instantly after killing one of them and also now each shoot close to enemy will decrease error of guessed position - WIP, to be released

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Making changes/refinements to AI doesn't just rely on programmers, but proper configuration of the data is also essential (what we call balancing).

Recent tweaks of config values affecting vehicle handling are part of this work. Pre-Alpha, a certain set of config values were used, but as the game develops, so we must continue to refine things like predictTurnPlan and predictTurnSimul

Drivers have gone to training lessons to improve their driving capabilities

AI drivers are now able to better predict the way and expect turns in longer distance while still maintaining the momentum long enough.

If you kill/hit/bullet impact close to an AI unit, your position is disclosed with some error. Now the error is bigger and based on range, so it is harder for the AI to find you after one shot.

So, if I fire from, say, 300m away, AI's guess of my x, y position is based on a default guess error (of 100m) plus my distance (300m) multiplied by a coefficient (0.25), plus a random value (between 0 and 1, applied to x and y).

This individual calculation doesn't currently factor in my weapon type, but my visibility remains a product of that, so - if I've used, say, an enormous sniper rifle instead of an smg - the AI is more likely to spot me, when looking in the right place.

decrease the AI's use of crouching/prone while moving in combat. They'll be more likely to crouch when they're static in combat (not deterministic, just a more likely behaviour), and shouldn't go prone if enemy target is known and very close*.

Now AI - without direct LOS - will only try to fire for a limited amount of time, and

will stop firing

if they do not themselves get LOS to the target,

even if a group member still has valid LOS

First step is that AI will not be able to kill you just because his team member told him where you are. Randomized shooting through bushes is next step: AI will shoot in your general area when he is told about your position, but accuracy will be far less.

Link to post

Share on other sites

Adjusted: Dynamic Calculated Error for AI, working on turrets, reacting to loosing sight of target

Generally the firefights and engagements should be more intense, enjoyable and less frustrating.

The average AI should no longer give you a head-shot off-hand.

AI gunners shouldn't be flawless top killing machines anymore.

It definitely does not solve all the things (e.g. detection, decision making, recoil control), but at least it hopefully softens some of the problems.

Please, spam us with your observations and feedback how has the battleground changed for you and whether it has improved the firefights, AI taking a shot, for you.

(thanks to those who've already provided some feedback; sorry latest updates have taken so long to post: we're getting back into the swing of things now)

Edit: there should be some further details we can share regarding Dynamic Calculated Error, but I need to check them out with our AI guru first!

Notes (not exhaustive; documentation in progress):

Firing the weapon no longer increases error; instead, it decreases the error or doesn't change it (depending on audio and visual attributes of the weapon).

If the weapon is loud and very visible (e.g., an MG with big muzzle flash), the error doesn't decrease; whereas, shooting a normal rifle will decrease the error.

Losing the target due to obstacle (e.g., foliage) and switching targets now drastically increases the error

Calculation of error direction was changed to be more fluent: AI soldiers should not 'shake' their aim anymore; instead, they should behave more akin to 'looking around'

Generally, these changes will be fairly subjective (a player's 'experience' of a firefight). We're also being careful not to negatively impact previous playable content, which was tested using older AI configurations.

If an AI is firing at you and runs out of ammo, needs to reload, or you manage to hit it, but not kill it, it will need some time to reacquire the aim after such action. Getting hit obviously causes much more disturbance.

The roads on Altis went thru major repairs during the long spring. The AI-tians can now enjoy more time on the road than off it. Although there are communities on Altis that have applied the newroad-safety 3D technology acquired via the cohesion fund from Ireland. http://goo.gl/Y6mGH9 (according to Google Images also used in Romania and Czech Republic) which makes the poor AI-tians still go offroad when avoiding this virtual threat.

Also

Fixed: AI not reloading their weapon when the camera was focused on it

This commit is a first iteration of AI aiming error being changed by those factors.

Generally, aiming error is not increased by fatigue or damage itself (wounds already increases it, movement and rotation as well), but it slows down the recovery of the error, making AI less accurate for longer time than if it would be rested/healthy.

Feel free to comment on your experiences, internally this is going to be tweaked and improved soon.